US1343216A - Finished surface for articles of manufacture - Google Patents

Description

J. R. McCLAlN.

FINISHED SURFACE FOR ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE. APPLICATION FILED OCT; 19, 1918.

1,343,2 1 6. Patented June 15, 1920.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Meow/M] ATTQRNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. MOCLAIN, OF EDGEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FINISHED SURFACE FOR ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE.

Spccification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1920.

Orighml application filed March 13,1918, Serial No. 222,056. Divided and this application filed October 19, 1918. Serial No. 258,900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN R. MoCLAIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Edgewood, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Finished Surfaces for Articles of Manufacture, of which the following is aspecification, th s being a division and continuation of application Serial No. 222,056, filed March 13, 1918,v patented Apr. 8, 1919, No. 1,299,747.

My invention relates to articles of manu facture, such as furniture or other devlces or pieces of apparatus, the outer or usable faces of which are not adapted for service conditions or which may be rendered more attractive or-satisfactory in service by applying surfacing material thereto and to the articles produced by such processes.

The object of my invention is to provide a product having a durable exposed surface of attractive appearance and possessing the ualities of durability and freedom from disfigurement by abrasion or the attack of water, alkalis or weak acids.-

It is a more or less usual practice to provide the outer surfaces of articles of furniture, such as desks, tables, Sideboards, etc. with thin coatings of veneer to insure surfaces of more desirable appearance than is afforded by the material of which the bodies of such articles are made, and it is also a more or less common practice to provide such surfaces with covers of plate glass.

In the case of a Veneer of ornamental wood, the surface provided is obviousl no more resistant to the abrasive action 0 objects dropped upon it or moved over it or to the action of water, alkalis or weak acids than is the properly smoothed and varnished surface of the material of which the body of the article is composed, and the plate glass surfacing material, while free from liability to abrasion and to attack by liquids, is expensive and also liable to breakage, in case any heavy article falls upon Furthermore, in accordance with the usual practice of applying veneer to' furniture or other objects, the veneer is coated with an adhesive material such as glue, by means of a brush, and, consequentl the applied coating is generally not distributed with perfect uniformity, whereby a waste of the adhesive material or a non-uniform pended in practising the method above mentioned involve a very considerable degree of expense, and the resulting product is liable to be defective because of a partial drying of the coated surfaces before a permanent union between them is effected.

In accordance with my present invention, I impregnate a sheet of porous and, prefer-- ably, fibrous, material of any desired character, such as paper or textile fabric or a felted material, such, for example, as cotton batting, with a predetermined percentage of the desired adhesive in a liquid state and then, preferably, dry or partially dry the sheet thus impregnated, after which the sheet is applied to the article for which it is to provide a surface and subjected to sufficient heat and pressure to effect the softening of the binding material and an effective union between the surface portion of such mlatgrial and the surface to which it is app ie The sheet of impregnated material is preferably cut to the size and shape of the surface to which it is to be applied and united and, if the impregnating material is of a character which softens under heat and hardens upon cooling, the applied sheet is first subjected to heat and pressure and then, while still under pressure, is cooled.

-If, on the other hand, a phenolic condensation product is employed as-the adhesive or binder, the applied impregnated sheet is subjected to heat and pressure to first soften the binder and then to transform it to its solid, substantially insoluble and infusible, state.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of a plate or body provided with a surfacing sheet in accordance with my method, approximately onehalf of the surfacing sheet being broken away; Fig. 2 is a sectional viewof a plate provided with a surfacing sheet applied in accordance with my process; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a mold such as may be employed in case the surfacing sheet is to be applied to aplate or block which may be placed in a mold, such plate or block and the surfacing sheet being also shown In this I figure.

Although my process may be practised by the use of any one of a considerable variety of apparatus, 1 have shown in the drawing a mold comprising a body portion 1 and a pressure platen 2, each of which is shown as provided with a set of pipes or passages 3, through which steam or other hot fluid may be circulated for the purpose of heating the parts of the mold to the desired temperature. Other heating means may, of course, be employed, if desired.

As shown in each of the figures of the drawing, the body 4:, which may be of Wood or any other desired material and be intended as a table, desk, sideboard or bureau top or any other portion or piece of furniture or other article of manufacture, is provided with a surfacing sheet 5 which is composed of a sheet of porous and preferably fibrous material, the fibers of which are either woven or matted together, and which is thoroughly impregnated with a binder, preferably a phenolic condensation product, such as bakelite, and which is applied, compacted and secured to the surface of the body portion 4 by the application of heat and pressure, which, as above indicated, may be applied by the means shown in Fig. 3 or otherwise.

In order to insure a smooth, polished outer surface for the sheet 5, I preferably interpose an oiled metal plate 6 between the bottom face of the platen 2 and the outer face of the sheet 5.

The surfacing material may embody any desired color or figure design, or both, by incorporating one or more sheets of fabric having such design or the material may have any desired color or colors imparted to it by adding suitable coloring material or materials to the liquid binder with which the sheet material is impregnated, and such surfacing sheets may be applied to surfaces having any desired contour, provided the pressure-applying members, which are utilized in connection with heat to compact the material and cure the binder, are given the surface shape desired.

It will be understood that my invention is adapted and intended for utilization in connection with the manufacture of apparatus and devices of great variety and range of use and that such apparatus and devices may be made serviceable and attractive in apearance at a relatively small expense,although made of inexpensive materials and without surface finish prior to the application of my surfacing material.

I claim as my invention:

An article of manufacture comprising a body portion of wood or similar material and a relatively thin surfacing material consisting of fibrous material and a phenolic condensation product serving to bind the fibers of the material together and to unite the adjacent faces of the body portion and the surfacing material.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th day of Aug,

JOHN R. MoOLAIN.

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